Four arrested after police officer injured in stone and bottle attack near Cape Town voting station

Four suspects were arrested after a police officer was injured in an attack involving stones and beer bottles near the Hanover Park Civic Centre voting station. Voting continued uninterrupted.

Four suspects, including minors, have been arrested after a police officer was injured when a group allegedly attacked officers with stones and beer bottles near a voting station in Hanover Park, Cape Town, on Wednesday, November 4.

The incident occurred shortly after 10am near the Hanover Park Civic Centre voting station, where members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) Anti-Gang Unit were deployed as part of security operations for the 2026 Local Government Elections.

Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut said the four suspects, aged between 16 and 20, were arrested following an incident of public violence and an attack on police officers.

Traut said Anti-Gang Unit members intervened after noticing two groups throwing stones at each other near the voting station.

"While members managed to calm the situation, one group turned on the officers, pelting them with stones and beer bottles," Traut said.

He said one officer sustained an injury to his left hand and discharged three warning shots to disperse the attackers and restore order.

Public Order Police were subsequently deployed to stabilise the area.

"No community members were injured," Traut confirmed.

According to Traut, preliminary investigations suggest that the arrested suspects are allegedly affiliated with a criminal gang operating in Hanover Park.

"A case of public violence and attack on police has been registered," he said.

The four suspects are expected to appear in the Athlone Magistrates' Court once formally charged.

Despite the violence unfolding near the voting station, Traut confirmed that the incident did not interfere with the electoral process.

"The incident did not affect or disrupt the election process, and voting continued uninterrupted," he said.

Police remain deployed in the area to maintain law and order and prevent further violence.

Traut said police would not allow lawlessness to derail the elections or prevent residents from exercising their democratic rights in a safe and secure environment.